DfT helps fund road improvements in Walsall

The Department for Transport (DfT) has agreed to provide up to £14.3 million towards a highways improvement scheme in the West Midlands.

The funding will improve access to key jobs site in Walsall.

Darlaston is currently an industrial area which is hard to access because of outdated road infrastructure.

The building improvements will significantly improve vehicle and pedestrian access to large land sites suitable for development in Darlaston, and boost investment in the area. The sites are a major component of the regeneration strategy for Darlaston, Pleck and Bentley.

Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said: “Darlaston is the focus of some of Walsall’s most significant urban regeneration proposals.

“The plans I am announcing today will take land which is currently unused and unproductive, and transform it into a major centre for economic growth and employment, creating thousands of jobs and helping drive long term economic growth.”

The highway improvements at the Darlaston strategic development area will significantly improve access at four locations:

Bentley Road South

Bentley Mill Way

‘Brown Lion’ junction

The junction of Bescot Road and Wallows Lane.

The main works are due to start in September 2014 with completion in February 2016. The full cost of the project is £25.9 million.